A quick catch-up with Bode about what gets him hyped and his recent partnership with the fun-having family, AIRBLASTER.
How many years have you been snowboarding?
Let's see.. Twenty... Four years. I had to do some math; that’s a long time.
Where are you from?
I'm originally from Santa Cruz, California. I grew up like a skaterat in Santa Cruz. My dad moved to Utah when I was young, and I would visit him sometimes to go skiing and stuff. I was spending summers in Utah with my dad and winters in California. So when I was 13, I was like, I'm doing this backward. So I tried out a winter in Utah, and that's when I first started snowboarding and never went back to California.
You probably have to think about this, but how many video parts would you say you've dropped?
Oh man, let's do some calculations. I guess my first real video part was It Ain't Easy. I was 18 – and I’m 37 now. I’m old. I've been filming almost every year since—maybe not a complete video part every year, but something close to that. I'd say 15 to 18 or something like that. It’s a long time to keep doing the same thing year after year, but it never gets old for some reason.
Yeah, you always bring something innovative to it each year. You found your way to keep it refreshing.
It probably gets boring if you're chasing the same tricks every year. But if you have new goals and things that you can dream up in your head, that keeps it exciting.
What would it be if you had to choose a video or project that you are most proud of or that is most memorable?
The Reckless Abandon was the first year I had done anything that was self-produced, and that was the first year I moved on from filming with Absinthe. And not just because it was my first self-produced movie but also because everything clicked that year. Things just came easy, and I had like the best crew around me.
John Ray was incredible to work with, as far as having a filmmaker and editor you trust. And such a good crew of homies, from Eric, Hans, Jesse, Ozzy, and other people, got in the mix here and there. But everything went right that year, and it was probably the most fun year I've had snowboarding. But it was also the stuff that I'm most proud of. I checked a lot of things off the list that I've always wanted to do that year.
That's when I first moved to Utah, that first night I went to that premiere, I remember it so vividly—especially the soundtrack.
Yeah, that was that was awesome. That was the first year I didn't have to get music rights; we could use whatever we wanted. Oh man, it was so fun just being able to, you know, pick any song we wanted.
If you had to choose a video or project that inspired you in the past, what inspires you now?
I've said it before in other stuff, but my all-time favorite video part is Romain De Marchi in Vivid; he was hitting insane jumps and going twice as far as everybody else, landing at the bottom of landings. He’s such a powerful and insane rider. And the way Hosnick edited that movie. Especially that part of this Radiohead song. And he had the best lifestyle shots of Romain and did crazy stuff, like money falling on him. So that's like my all-time favorite part, I would say.
Now, what gets me stoked? I've shied away from street riding and dove into backcountry-only stuff. So that's what I'm focusing on, and right now, that's what I like to consume. Super creative backcountry riding is what I gravitate towards now. I get stoked when I see something come out because there are a million insane rail movies nowadays. And there are still only a few, like all backcountry movies or backcountry parts, that get me super excited.
What’s the best thing about Airlaster? What attracted you to the brand?
The amount of fun that they have and that fun is what they stand for. They've always been that. That doesn't take themselves too seriously in snowboarding, and a lot of these big brands take everything so seriously and are more of a corporate structure. At times, AirBlaster it seems like they're flying by the seat of their pants, which is fun. They always make it fun. It’s in their clothes, marketing, and team– it's fun to be around.
So I love the brand because of that. I never used their product until they sent me a box, and I couldn't believe how good it was. I knew I wanted to ride in it for a long time.
What are the most essential pieces of backcountry kits? If you were bringing someone out there for the first time, what would you tell them is the most important part of their fit?
The most important thing is proper layering. When we leave in the morning, it’s 20 degrees colder at first light, and then you go throughout the day, and it warms up. The sun comes out, and you have to de-layer. For me, it starts with the ninja suit. It’s one of the best layering pieces you can have. And now Airblaster has multiple styles. They have the Ninja Suit Pro that just came out that's extra warm, and then the original one is super comfortable.
For the last few years, I’ve really been into a vest. It keeps your core warm and your arms free. It’s so easy to pop on and off. Airblaster didn’t have a vest in their line until this year. When I first came on board. When I first came on board, I was trying to push for a vest. The rest of the team came on board, so they will offer a little puffy vest next year.
You put in work last year and have fun. How was filming last year with JRob again? And the trip to Japan?
Having JRob back in the mix last year and having him on Airblaster was awesome. It was the perfect little in-season meet-up. I haven’t filmed with JROb in six, seven, or eight years. He messed perfectly back in our crew. It was good to share that time.
It was really cool to link up with the Airblaster crew for the Japan trip. It was early season, and Cocard was on the phone with Ricky, and it was like someone had dropped out of the trip to Japan. Do you want to go? Kind of jokingly, and a week later, I was on a flight. I want to that Cocard for that. It organically happened and ended up being awesome. We rode more powder than I have in a long time. I probably got more face shots and barrels than I have in the past few years, all in one trip. It was pretty magical.
Airblaster is coming on the scene as a backcountry powerhouse.
I feel like Air Blaster's always been a bit more grounded in backyard boarding and street riding. But now that Cocard is back on, I’m more backcountry-focused now. And then J Rob is the full big-line backcountry dude. We've got a good little, little backcountry squad now.